Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
Oct
29
2025
Oct
29
2025
Description
Claire Finley, The University of Texas at Austin
Circumplanetary Accretion Disk Properties with HST and JWST
Many details of giant planet formation and evolution remain untested due to limited observational constraints on when they assemble and grow through gas accretion from their circumplanetary disks (CPDs). Two key diagnostics--ultraviolet (UV) accretion signatures and mid-infrared (IR) CPD excess--offer critical insight into this process, but are rarely accessible for the same system due to practical challenges. I will present the first results of a joint UV-MIR direct imaging survey targeting young long-period giant planets using HST/WFC3-UVIS and JWST/MIRI. The UV observations are sensitive to the strong Balmer continuum excess, Balmer jump, and hydrogen line emission which provide the most reliable estimate of the accretion luminosity and mass accretion rate. The mid-IR photometry traces the thermal excess from a circumplanetary disk, providing information about the disk size, temperature, and grain growth. This program more than doubles the sample of distant planets with detailed accretion and disk constraints, helping to establish the timescales and physical processes that govern giant planet formation.
Other Events in This Series
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Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
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No meeting
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
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Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
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No talk scheduled
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
Jan
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12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
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Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
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No talk scheduled
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
Feb
12
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12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
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12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
Speaker(s): Carolina Cuesta - MIT and Harvard University
Feb
26
2025
Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
No talk scheduled
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
Mar
5
2025
Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
No talk scheduled
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
Mar
12
2025
Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
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Two talks by Astronomy Department graduate students
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
Speaker(s): Erica Sawczynec - The University of Texas at Austin and James Mang - The University of Texas at Austin
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26
2025
Stars, Planets, and ISM Seminar
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Two talks by UT Astronomy graduate students
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm • In Person
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